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Indoor or Out?

As I once mentioned, I am rehabbing from a serious summer cycling accident. It's been a long road and I've developed a great relationship with my OT. Anyway, he knows first hand how passionate I am about both spinning & outdoor cycling and he has used that passion to spur me on when my resolve has waned. Anyway during yesterday's session after I was going on and on about the weekend's 43-mile outdoor ride and going on and on about the class I was teaching that evening, he asked me which I loved more...Spinning or outdoor cycling. For once, I was struck silent (doesn't happen too often).

I stammered about not equating the two, that each fulfills a different need for me. Well, I had a restless night and I couldn't get the question out of my mind. Honestly, I have been thinking about his innocent question all day. For some reason it's struck a nerve.

I honestly do get something different from all three: outdoor riding, spinning as a rider, spinning as an instructor. Outdoor riding seems to be more social for me as I go with hubby & friends. Spinning as a rider is very solitary, even though I am in a room with others. When I need to work on something emotionally, spinning does the trick. I can truly take myself 'away.' Instructing fills a need to nurture. But even these broad explanations don't seem to totally answer the question for me.

Those of you who spend time indoors & out, have you ever thought about this? Or do I just have too much time on my hands.

YAH all the time

I think about it most during summer when class levels loom low in attendance and all my friends are outdoors riding and I am indoors. I think about the instructors that I have to go see and they give up their weekends to get more educated. I do get the most out of the outdoors its that which spurs me to go in. Every o/d ride becomes a piece of the coaching puzzle of keeping it fresh and fun indoors. Nice thought Pink.
Megale

If I wasn't paid to do this, I would only ride indoors in Winter, darkness or crappy weather. I have a fundamental dislike for riding a bike that goes nowhere, truth be told. It just makes me think of where I COULD be going. I absolutely can not ride on a trainer at home, alone. Shudder!

That's not to say riding indoors is sheer torment. Having good music, an interesting instructor, others sharing in the suffering (some of them quite attractive), makes it enjoyable when it's necessary.

Training benefits of course, and as the instructor there is the creative outlet and good feelings one gets helping others meet their goals. But for me, outdoors on a bike is where I most like to be. In 20 years, I'll be one of those white-haired geezers putting in 70 miles a day. When the weather's nice, of course.

Lynn, I guess the difference for me is I feel as if I *do* go somewhere on the spin bike. I tell that to the uninitiated and they think I'm whacked (rightfully so...). Indoors I can close my eyes and go away. I can't do that outdoors. I have to pay attention outdoors. But on the flip side, there's such an incredible sense of freedom while riding outdoors. The feeling of power, speed & lightness is regenerative. I just find this train of thought interesting and can't believe I've never considered it before.

Lynn- my husband sounds like you. He rides the spin bike at home when "he has to", and calls it the torture device . He has to watch Tdf dvds and listen to Phil and Paul to get through his workout. He cracks me up.

Right now riding outside for me is weird, since I'm new to the area and I get easily lost (I need to get that Garmin gps/cyclocomputer thingy). I am constantly stressed when I ride becuase of lack of space on the road (no bike paths whatsoever, thanks to our dirt cheap property taxes), always afraid of being killed, bitten by a dog (many dogs run loose near where I ride). They chase me and it freaks me out. I just can't seem to relax yet, maybe someday.
So right now, I'd say I "enjoy" riding indoors, but maybe I'll adapt down here .

I think I might be the only spinning instructor here who has never road outdoors! Truth be told!! I have only road indoors. I would love to take up outdoor cycling but I dont think I could find the time at this stage in my life. My husband is an F-16 pilot and is rarely home and I have two kids. So to find alone time on a bike outdoors is nearly impossible. I can only imagine how incredible it would to actually ride and make progress. It's like running on a treadmill or outside.. I can only run outside when I am going somewhere, not on a treadmill where I stay in the same place all the time and look at myself in the mirror in front of me.

Not alone..

dgkilleen: You are not alone. Tho I have an old Mountain bike in the garage it only comes out when I have some extra time in the summer or to throw in the back of the truck and lug to ride on the boardwalk at the shore. My Bike time is indoors or almost nill. Was already to buy a new hybrid when the oldest one's college bills came in. I guess I will now have to wait 5 years until the younger one is done too.

If there were no guilt strings attached I enjoy riding outdoors, but I love riding my horse so every mile spent on my bike is a mile taken away from him. Spinning lets me stay in good enough shape to ride him.
Bk
Besides my husband never asks to go with me when I put the horse in the trailer. But always when I load the bike

I think it's a very interesting question. I've been an outdoor rider - triathlete for 9 years and only started teaching the last couple. Nothing replaces an outdoor ride on a beautiful day with great friends and feeling like a million bucks BUT I discovered the incredible benefits of indoor riding for my outdoor riding so I give it a lot more credit than I used to. So for me, I love both for what they give me and would not want to give up one for the other. As a mother of two young kids, I love that I can train A LOT less outdoors because of teaching indoor cycling and get the same benefits if not more. Just my thoughts on the question.

To me, indoor and outdoor riding are like apples and oranges. Also, when I ride outdoors, it's off-road.

Another thought... I love both, as long as I'm not doing too much of either, and as long as I get to do both. But I feel the same way about my other sports. I swim and run road and trails. I love them all, but would never want to be restricted to just one.

dgkilleen-
You are definitely NOT the only instructor who sticks to indoor riding. So no worries. I know several instructors who don't ride outside. In fact, most of the instructors I know started with spinning. Many have taken up casual outdoor riding now that they've had fun indoors, but there are just as many who stay indoors. Fitness is fitness, and if you've got it and if you've got the knowledge, then in my book you're a great spinning instructor.